Rebecca Dearden — Young Artist

ARTIST STATEMENT

267-907-4879 rsdearden@gmail.com rebeccadeardenart.com @rsdearden

I am a process-oriented painter who creates abstract, figurative pieces. I seldom approach a piece with a concept in mind but rather use an alternative mark-making system that involves painting a subject on separate paper then stamping it onto my canvas or chosen surface. Through this method, the subjects become reversed and altered from my original vision. I enjoy mimicking the organic shapes that form from a process that feels slightly out of my control. I let the work unfold before me and allow the process to inform me as I go.

My work focuses on gesture and movement. The abstract figures in my pieces are not fully rendered; they are intentionally ambiguous in gender and other identifiers. By excluding context from my subjects, my paintings strive to emphasize the spirit of the gesture or essence of an emotion through exaggerated mark-making and bold color choices. The figures often blend together and exist in vague spaces absent of perspective and a sense of place or time. My goal is for a viewer to return to a piece and discover something new each time- perhaps as their mind searches for figures where figures were never intended to be.

My most recent work repurposes scrap wood to serve as my canvas. I currently enjoy playing with the texture and imperfections of the surfaces that I source and stumble upon, and my intention is to be more mindful of consumption in my art making and, instead, work with any discarded materials I can find.

BIO

Rebecca Dearden’s work tells stories across multiple mediums including painting, photography, writing, and directing. In all her creative pursuits, Rebecca seeks to uncover the minutiae and absurdity of everyday life and is inspired by personal narratives, memories, and connections

Rebecca studied Photography and Art at Ithaca College before moving to San Francisco to work as a Producer in commercial photography. She has spent the last few years developing her indie TV show, Sugar Baby, which recently premiered at Academy Award qualifying Nashville Film Festival and won Best Comedy Series at Catalyst Film Festival.

Rebecca's paintings have exhibited across the country, with shows at City Art Cooperative Gallery, San Francisco Women Artists Gallery, Wave Collective, Handwerker Gallery, and more.

Rebecca is newly based in New York City pursuing production coordinating and producing in both film and photography.